stephen cheetah, abc-7 news. >> thank you, steven. a man has pled guilty to animal cruelty charges after leaving his dog in a hot minivan. he left the dogs while he toured a museum. the smaller dog died and the beagle was treated for heat stroke. he was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and one-year probation. >> a casino opened for business three days ahead of schedule. the employees and the state are betting on slots and maryland. >> that was the welcome to the hordes of people that flocked to the casino 30 mi. north of the baltimore beltway today. some told us that they did feel lucky. >> of one about $500 today. i am not finished yet. >> it is nice. this place is nice. >> after years of politics, the slots parlor opened its doors three days early at 8:00 a.m.. the manager says the business is already good. >> it has been a great start to the day. it started with a line at about 7:30 a.m.. >> this was the soft opening before thursday's grand opening and he did not allow us to shoot video inside the casino. there are 1500 s